Road to Revolution Timeline

Albany Plan of Union

In 1754, this was a plan to place the British colonies in North America under one more centralized government. Although this plan never went into effect it was the first cooperation between the colonies.

French and Indian War

From 1754-1763, the British and colonial subjects, French, and Indians all fought for the Ohio River Valley. Although the British colonies won, Britain put lots of taxes on the colonies to help pay for the war and keep troops in the colonies to protect against further attacks.

Treaty of Paris 1763

In 1763, this ended the French and Indian War and Britain won and France gave up all of its territories in the mainland of North America

Proclamation of 1763

This was when Parliament, in 1763, said that no American colonists were allowed to settle past a line called the Proclamation line. This caused the Revolutionary War because it was an example of Britain doing things to the colonists when the colonists had no part in making those decisions.

Sugar Act

In 1733, Britain passes laws to make it harder for the colonists to purchase molasses from France and this hurt the economy of the colonies. This caused the Revolutionary War because Britain made decisions that affected the colonies without letting the colonies have any say in the decision.

Stamp Act

On March 22, 1765 Parliament passed an unreasonable tax that meant all official documents had to have a stamp on them saying that taxes have been payed on them. This caused the Revolutionary War because this was a perfect example of Britain taxing the colonists without the colonists having any say in it.

Quartering Act of 1765

On March 24, 1765, Parliament passed an act saying that colonists had to house British troops if the British saw it to be necessary. This caused the revolutionary War because it was another example of Parliament making decisions for the colonies when the colonists had no representation in Parliament.

Stamp Act Congress

When in October, 1765, delegates from nine of the colonies met to decide the course of action after the British government taxed them without allowing them to be represented. This caused the Revolutionary War because it met to address the reason the Revolutionary War happened, the colonists were being taxed by the British with no representation.

Repeal of Stamp Act

On March 18, 1766 because of the widespread protesting of the colonists the British repealed the Stamp Act.

Declaratory Act

In 1766, the Parliament ruled that it had the same power over the colonies as it did over Britain even though the colonies had no representation in Parliament. This caused the Revolutionary War because this is British officially saying that they can tax the colonists without the colonists being represented.

Townshend Act

A series of measures passed by Parliament that were proposed by the British chancellor in 1767 that put taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. This caused the Revolutionary War because it was an example of taxation without representation.

Boston Massacre

On March 5, 1770 5 colonists were killed by British soldiers during a not so peaceful protest.

Boston Massacre

Boston Tea Party

On December 16, 1773 60 members of the Sons of Liberty, disguised as Indians, snuck on to British tea boats in Boston harbor and threw the tea into the harbor. This was a cause of the Revolutionary War because it was a protest of taxation without representation.

Intolerable Acts

In 1774 Parliament passed the Coercive Acts in response to the Boston Tea Party which shut down Boston Harbor for trade, town meetings were banned and the power was given to the Royal Governor, General Gage the head of the British army in America was made governor of Massachusetts, British troops and officials would be tried outside of Massachusetts for their crimes of murder, and greater freedom was granted to British who wished to house their troops in private dwellings.

First Continental Congress

In September 1774, representatives from every state except for Georgia met to protest the Intolerable Acts and decide a future plan for the colonies.

Battle of Lexington and Concord

This battle occurred April 19, 1775 and it was the first battle of the Revolutionary War.

Battle of Bunker Hill

A battle on June 16, 1775 between the British and Americans. The Americans had an immediate advantage because they had the high ground but although many British soldiers were killed or wounded, the British won the battle.

Secoond Continental Congress (Olive Branch Petition)

When congress met a second time in 1775, they decided to form a Continental Army, appointed George Washington the supreme commander of it, approve the printing of money, they sent the Olive Branch Petition which was a direct appeal to the King for a peaceful resolution but the King refused the petition and declared the colonies in a state of rebellion, and finally declared independence.

Common Sense By Thomas Paine

Common Sense By Thomas Paine

A pamphlet published on January 1776 to the colonists stating why he thought America should become independent of England.

Declaration of Independence

A document, ratified on July 4 1776, in which the colonists said that they were a separate country from England and set some basic human rights.

Sources

usofficeofthehistorian.org

ushistory.org

history.com

landofthebrave.info

bostonmassacre.net

Sources